Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1887-01-13
NINETEEN KILLED.
A Terrible Railroad Accident
Near Republic, Ohio.
The Wreck Burns.


The fast train on the Baltimore a. Ohio
railroad, which left New York about 8
O'Clock on the morning of the Sd inst for
Chicago, with five coaches and four sleep
ers all well filed with passengers, collided
with an eastern bound freight seven miles
east of Titfin, Ohio, about O'Clock on the
morning of the 4th
The fast train was about 80 minutes late,
and was running at the rate of 60 miles an
hour. Passing Republic, a small station,
like flash, they rushed along to the curve,
one mile west of the town, when suddenly
the engineer saw the freight train
under full Roadway, within 100 yards of
him. He at once applied the brake, revers-
ed his engine, but it did no good, and the
next instant the crash came, telescoping the
coaches and piling them upon each other.
The engines of the two trains reared into
the air like a pair of enraged monsters,
and then settled down upon the track,
driving into each other until the cylinders
touched. The force of the impact damned
the baggage cars into the tender of the
fast train, the express car into the baggage
and the smoker into the express In less
than five minutes from the moment of the
collision, and before any organized effort
at rescue could be made, the fire of the
overturned stoves communicated to the
woodwork, and the flames leaped high in
the air, their roar mingling with the cries
of anguish OF the imprisoned victims, to
whom death in its most terrible form was
Il horrid presence. The trainmen and un-
injured passengers were powerless and
could do nothing TO rescue the sufferers.
To add CONSERVATION to the horrible
scene fire broke out in the smoking car
and soon spread to the other cars. Many
were killed outright, while others, wedged
in among the broken cars, were slowly
consumed by the flames. The smoker was
entirely consumed, and all the passengers
killed.
The crash could be heard for
a long distance, and the, people
awakened by it and fastened to the scene
TO lend what aid they could in caring for
the dead and dying By II O'Clock 10
charred and mangled bodies had been
came from Tiffin and other places,
and physicians and nurses fastened to the
scene of the wreck, which presented q
fearful spectacle and recalled to the spec
tators the Ashtabula horror of 1876.
Among the passengers were Charles p
Toll and wife Of Detroit, who were return
ing from their bridal tour. Mr.. Toll gives
the following account Of the disaster:
II was awakened by being thrown vio-
lently from the berth. The train consisted
two sleepers. The train collided with an
east bound freight, which had got stalled a
mile west of Republic, and eight miles east
OF Iiffin. The two engines were wrecked.
The coach telescoped into the baggage car,
so completely that the two were crushed
into the space of one. The two sleepers
did not leave the track The telescoped
cars caught fire from the stove, and the
mangled and crushed passengers impris-
oned in the shattered wreck shrieked IN
agony as the flames proceeded with their
work of destruction. The en-
gineer and fireman of the freight
leaped and saved themselves from
the collision. The engineer Of the ex-
press, named Eastman, had leg broken
and sustained severe wound in the
shoulder His fireman was caught between
the engine and tender and died in few
minutes. No one In the sleepers was in
jured, other than by a severe shaking I'D.
Mrs Fish, a sister of the late Gen. Logan,
who was returning from Washington, was
in the wreck, but was uninjured.
DUE TO CARELEssNEss.
There Is diversity of opinion regarding
the real cause of the accident. The reports
agree that there was carelessness on the
part of the railroad employees, but wheth-
er blame should attach to the freight or
passenger crew is a matter of conjec-
ture. A thorough investigation will be
made. The coroner has taken charge of
the dead.
The same day, n disastrous wreck on the
Boston a. Albany road near Springfield,
Mass, caused by a broken wheel. One
man was burned to DEATH and Is persons
seriously injured.
A frightful accident occurred near Pc
wauke, Wis, on the evening Of the 4th.
The east bound passenger train ran into a
sleighload of ice men returning from
work. Three of the men were instantly
killed.